Terms of Reference for Executive Search Agency

Location: Johannesburg

Duration: 3 months

Start Date: November 2021      End Date: February 2022

Reporting to: Iranti Board of Directors

1. Purpose

Iranti is seeking to hire an Executive Search Agency on a consultancy basis commencing in November 2021 and ending at latest by February 2022, that will work with the Iranti Board on the recruitment of a new Executive Director.

2.What is Iranti

Iranti is a Johannesburg-based media-advocacy organisation that advocates for the rights of LGBTI+ persons, with a specific focus on lesbian, transgender, including non-binary and intersex persons in Africa. Iranti works within a human rights framework raising issues on gender identities, and sexuality, through the strategic use of multimedia storytelling, research and activism.

Iranti is an organisation by and for trans, lesbian and intersex persons and was formed with the clear intention of building strategic partnerships and movements that use media as a key platform for critical engagement, mobilisation, capacity development, reframing of perceptions, and advocacy interventions across Africa. Iranti works at country, regional (Africa) and international levels.

3. Background to the search

Iranti is seeking to engage a recruitment firm with demonstrated experience to provide advisory and administrative support in the recruitment of a new Executive Director. As a regional organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

 We require hiring experience, and expertise from the regional community would be ideal. It is expected that the recruitment process will be completed in the last quarter of 2021. This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks to identify a recruitment firm that will assist the recruitment process of Iranti’s next Executive Director. The authority to choose a recruitment firm rests with the Iranti Board.

4.  Objective and scope of the consultancy

The objective of the assignment is to support the Iranti Board to ensure an open and transparent recruitment process of the Executive Director, by providing long lists, short lists and a final list of at least three qualified applicants. The successful recruitment firm will be responsible for the initial shortlisting processes (long listing and short listing). Iranti will maintain oversight over the outsourced recruitment services in order to ensure compliance with Iranti’s recruitment policies and procedures.

• To achieve these objectives, the successful bidder will:
• Conduct with the Iranti Board a full search briefing on the role, including creation of the search strategy, stakeholder consultations, creating the position profile and proposing advertising and outreach strategies;
• Carry out comprehensive research to identify exceptional candidates;
• Fully execute the assignment, resulting in a long list, leading to a subsequent short-list presentation of candidates for interview;
• Conduct interviews of long-listed candidates and presentation of short-listed candidates for interview to Iranti’s Board;
• Provide support for the interview processes of the short-listed candidates, including suggested interview questions and evaluation rubrics;
• Secure detailed references for final candidate(s) prior to offer;
• Perform criminal, education, and credit checks on the final candidates;
• Negotiate the offer and close the search.

5. Outputs/expected deliverables

The successful recruitment firm is expected to:

• Research and attract suitable candidates, receive and screen all applications and communicate with candidates
• Provide a long list of approximately 8 candidates;
• Prepare a report on the process to establish the long list candidates;
• Conduct interviews of long list candidates, potentially with Board participation in the interviews;
• Provide a short list of approximately 5 candidates;
• Submit a report on the interviews conducted for establishing the short list of candidates;
• Draft interview questions and a scoring grid;
• Obtain references, criminal record, education, and credit checks on the top three selected candidates;
• Provide a detailed final report on the recruitment process.

6. Key background documents and information

Iranti will provide the successful bidder with the current and any proposed new job description of the Executive Director and other relevant documentation as requested.

7. Duration and timeline

The consultancy is expected to take approximately four months, starting from the date of signature of the contract by both parties, subject to adjustments as required. The contract ends thirty days after the point of signature of the employment agreement by the selected candidate. If the candidate resigns or is let go within one year of taking up their role, Iranti requests a guarantee that the recruitment firm shall conduct a new recruitment process without cost.

8. Required expertise and qualification

The Bidders must have the appropriate qualification and expertise required to meet the objective of the consultancy.

9. Payment terms Iranti offers the following payment terms:

1. 25% of the agreed fee paid upon signing of the agreement, with the delivery of an 

invoice.

• 25% paid upon finalising the top 3 candidates.
• 40% paid when the final decision upon the employment of the candidate is made by
• Iranti, the candidate has accepted the position and has signed an employment agreement.
• Final 10% of the agreed fee retained for 30 days in case of immediate resignation and paid upon closure of the Contract between the Recruitment firm and Iranti.

10. Application process

All interested firms must submit bids marked IN CONFIDENCE and should be sent by 29 October 2021, 16:00 PM Central African Time. The Proposals must include the following elements:

• A cover letter including:
  • Name and address of the service provider
  • Name, title and email address of the person authorised to commit contractually the service provider
  • Name, title and email address of the person to be contacted in regards of the content of the proposal, if different from above
  • Firm’s qualifications and experience of hiring in the not-for-profit space:
  • Summarise the firm’s ability to deliver the scope of services of this RFP and the

benefits of Iranti of engaging your firm. Detail your firm’s not-for-profit, human

rights, and LGBTI experience. Detail your firm’s ability to provide executive

search services.

• Where possible, provide examples.
• Also include:
  • Service Team
  • Name, location and relevant experience of each core team member
  • Detail the structure of your team and how you plan to service Iranti
  • Executive Search approach
  • Description of your approach to delivering the services in scope, including an

overview of how you would deliver your services. In particular, highlight how you intend to ensure that the process is inclusive of persons often left behind in executive recruitment searches, including but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, persons based-in or from the global south, trans persons and intersex persons

• Fees
• Please provide your most competitive budgets considering our not-for-profit
• status, including;
• The fees structure
• Payments schedules
• Value-add and insight
• Please list/describe any insights or value additions that your agency may bring

to Iranti.

• Conflict of interest

The firm shall disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

11. Evaluation criteria

The decision to award any contract as a result of this RFP process will be based on Providers’ responses and any subsequent negotiations or discussions. The decision process will consider the ability of each service provider to fulfil Iranti’s requirements outlined within this RFP and the total cost of the offer.

Proposals will be assessed against the main following criteria but not limited to:

• Technical criteria
• Compliance with the scope of service requirements
• Team fit and experience o Company experience and capability
• The Bidder’s understanding of Iranti’s work, including that it is in the not- for-profit, human rights and LGBTI sector
• Having already supported LGBTI organisations or groups in recruitment processes – especially for executive and managerial positions – will be considered an asset

• Financial criteria
• Realistic costing of the proposal with NGO rates whenever possible
• The overall value for money proposition presented in the Tenderer’s response.

Please limit your written proposal to 15 pages in length.

Proposals are to be submitted by e-mail to: recruitment@iranti.org.za

 Please write “IN CONFIDENCE IRANTI Executive Search Proposal” in the subject line

of the email.

Any questions can be directed by e-mail to recruitment@iranti.org.za

The successful firm will be contacted by 28 October 2021. A shortlist will be developed

internally by Iranti Board and all final candidates will be notified about the result of the

Procurement process. We will not be able to offer any compensation for any of the wor

included in the bids that will not be selected.